Open Gardens SA has reached an impressive milestone!

As we celebrate ten years of successful garden openings and events, we are energised to grow and open more wonderful, inspiring private gardens to the public.

A new era deserves a new and exciting look, so we are launching an improved website packed with a wealth of information and new features while remaining attractive and easy to use. We hope our visitors find it a wonderful “go-to” site when planning garden visits in metropolitan and rural locations or seeking out news of our latest events and activities.

In the last decade, 206,000 visitors have enjoyed seeing more than 400 gardens, events and festivals. Hundreds of garden owners have allowed the public to look around their private gardens, and teams of volunteers have staged workshops, theatre shows and garden festivals, generating an impressive $1.54 million to benefit the community.

After covering essentials, including insurance, IT, publicity, and card fees, garden owners received $692,000 as their share of the modest entry fee to distribute to good causes and charities of their choice.

Over the years, many hard-working and creative owners have enlisted their friends, and often the charities themselves, to help raise a further $522,000 from plant sales, sausage sizzles and afternoon teas.

$120,000 has been generated from events, including garden workshops and Theatre in the Garden by Blue Sky Theatre, which supports venues such as Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Hans Heysen Foundation, and various cancer charities.  Two festivals support good causes directly. Two Landscape Festivals raised $50,000 for the SA’s Country Women’s Association, and the Harvest Garden Festival gave $30,000 to OzHarvest.

Open Gardens SA’s support program has given $133,000 to projects that benefit the community, including assisting horticulture students through the Playford Trust, making small grants available to community gardens, and donating to BlazeAid to assist with bushfire recovery.

Tom Wilkinson, Open Gardens SA co-chair, says the volunteer team is proud to launch their tenth year this August and reach such an impressive milestone of community support.

“It’s most impressive and extremely heart-warming for our not-for-profit organisation to make such a difference to a huge range of good causes,” said Mr Wilkinson.

“I acknowledge the generosity and hard work of garden owners, volunteers, event organisers and our committee, who’ve made this venture successful.

“I thank the visiting public for their enthusiasm and support, which ensures our scheme will flourish for another ten years.”

Open Gardens SA’s tenth season opens in August 2024, and another 40 gardens will open until autumn 2025.

Open Gardens SA - Promoting the enjoyment, knowledge and benefits of gardens and gardening.